God's Gracious Gift, a Snarer of Hearts
by echosdusk
Summary: The tale of Scanlon, the only son of the German Shepherd dog John and his journey to find both Gin and Weed to learn about his father. A Ginga Legend Weed Anime fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

God's Gracious Gift, a Snarer of Hearts

Chapter One –John's Son

_Ok, this is my first fan-fiction I've ever really done. I don't own any of the characters mentioned in the Ginga Densetsu Weed and Ginga Nagereboshi Gin series. But I was wondering what the possibilities could be, if say perhaps, John had a family somewhere away from Ohu maybe. So that's basically what this is based on, so please excuse it if the chapter look rushed or anything._

* * *

The spring after the fight with Hougen and his gang was a beautiful one, one that had not been seen for a long time and the order of Paradise was restored. Though many had died to win back the sacred haven, it was not until that spring that time was taken to reflect upon the dead warriors and to spread the words of what had occurred. The news spread quite quickly, just as quickly as the legend Gin had become when he'd taken down the killer bear. But now it was time for a newer legend, though it would not be well known. 

There was the sound of yipping puppies trying to play with their siblings and friends, as well as the sounds of joking adults and scolding parents. But the screaming of another dog, urgently seeking his master so that he could spread some important news, cut off this sound. Every dog within a small river valley paused to hear the cries, but they were confused by the commotion. What news could be so important?

"Akuma! Akuma, Master!" A black and white Husky was galloping through the scrub and underneath the blossoming trees on the rim of a clearing. His limbs were aching and his tongue swung at the side of his mouth as he forced himself to hurry onward, seeking his boss-dog. Unfortunately the commotion he caused was not greatly appreciated by some of the other dog, and a large grey mastiff erupted from a dip in the ground nearby. It was a massive Neapolitan dog, something not seen often in this area but brought in along with other fighting breeds in recent years.

"Quiet you idiot!" The beast snarled, his lips swinging as he leapt upwards and tripped the Husky clean over. The Husky rolled along the ground and some of the other pack dogs emerged from dips in the clearing, the scrub, and the trees. Their ears strained forward as they stared curiously at the panting and wincing Husky as the mastiff placed a giant paw upon his head. "Some of us are trying to sleep!"

"That's enough Kōgeki!" A young German shepherd dog yipped from the edge of a few dead scrubs. His body was light with only a large saddle-mark upon his back, dark ears, and a dark muzzle. He was strong and his coat was thin but currently the hackles were raised and his head was lowered as he prepared to fight the mastiff. This was not an unusual situation for the young Alsatian, he was always in an argument with the bigger mastiff dogs, especially when they picked upon one another and the dogs they deemed to be weaker then themselves. But today was not the pup's best day to start picking fights, as the Husky carried on regardless toward their master and the big grey dog pressed forward with his own hackles raised, and the lower set of teeth just visible beneath his sagging lips.

"You never know when to leave be, do you Scaly?" He snarled and the young German Shepherd snarled, almost in a playful or false manner, and darted forward with a jolt. But Before he could launch upon Kōgeki, there was a larger dog on seen to pin the youngster down.

The big Italian Mastiff paused and backed away slightly as the new dog, a large Boxer leapt upon the youngster and growled into his ears softly. The young Alsatian gave a low snarling of hatred at this dog's actions, but the boxer, with his lightly brindled coat and white paws, simply gave a low whine of apology but also of wisdom. This pup was getting far too bold, and it could cost him if he kept taunting the mastiffs so much. But by this time the Husky had reached their master and there was a tremendous bark for attention, then all the dogs present scuttled toward the biggest dip amongst the valley, which sloped over a large tunnel that often housed their master's favourite bitch. Once there they looked upon the massive brindled hide, black face, sagging dewlap, massive size, and yet also the incredible muscles upon their Brazilian Mastiff, Akuma, the Devil.

"Well, that's an interesting piece of news indeed, something to be shared amongst you all." The big beast growled softly, he had a bad background that was only known to three animals, his favourite bitch, a Husky called Kumo, a big strong hairy mix-breed called Taro, and Mab, the mother of the Alsatian dog. It was something they did not share with others, as their own pasts were riddled with just as much sorrow as the giant beast, whose body was marred in white scars concealed by his creamy tiger stripes. There was silence as he spoke, all tails were kept low and their heads were similar, no one was allowed to show any sign of importance around their master, Akuma was not named the devil for nothing.

"It seems our old enemy and rival for bitches in the Southern Alps, old Hougen and his brother Genba, have been killed. None other then the tora-ge dogs of the Northern Alps are responsible. I trust most of the elders amongst us remember their visit last spring, the three highest ranking dogs came to greet an old friend of theirs that had past away. Shame really, but I have curious news about one of them at least. Gin now has a son, Weed, whose in charge and doesn't seem to be any competition for bitches, and that rogue German Shepherd John is dead." Everything was said bluntly and there was a great muttering whilst the other dogs chewed over this valuable information. But for one dog it was the most terrible thing ever to have been said, the young German Shepherd bolted off toward the forest where a broken blossom tree protected his mother's den, he had terrible news for her.

* * *

In a shallow scrape underneath the dead tree, Mab the German shepherd lay nesting in preparation for the arrival of her first little to Taro. She was very fat with the puppies, that wriggled and made every movement uncomfortable, and yet she was never alone for the births. Last year her original mate had scampered into the grounds to be with her, and had then entrusted her safety to Taro, but now of course, he had not returned to her and Taro had taken liberties. It was not that Mab did not like Taro, after all he was a mighty and loyal mate that seemed to love her dearly, but there had been a much more faithful dog before him. 

She was settling gently down into place, the big black dog with his beard in the dirt around the broken trunk, snoozing away, when her ears flicked forward to the sound of an approaching dog. Generally Taro would have been up and snarling at any dog that was not Brody, Kerrianne, or Scanlon, but it was in fact Kerrianne that was snarling this morning. At the sight of her brother, the darker coloured bitch with only one eye settled back down and growled softly to her mother.

"It's only Scanlon, and he seems to be quite upset about something. Probably had Kōgeki or Kanchō beat him in a fight again. Either that or Gunjin stopped it all again." Kerrianne whined as she stepped aside of the snoozing black dog, her tail raised and wagging in greeting, she snuffed softly at her youngest litter-mate, their noses pressing softly together, but her one eye glaring because of the disturbance.

"Mother," The pup whined nervously, as he stepped away from his sister and lay down on the edge of the scrape, the darker German Shepherd bitch looked up at him nervously. There was an important edge to his voice, something she had not heard in him since he had watched Akuma slaughter a failed spy during the winter. She whined softly in curiosity, and this time Taro leapt upwards, afraid that he was missing something.

* * *

"What's up boy? Akuma called us for battle in the mountains?" The big black dog, possible a Russian Black Terrier crossed with some kind of mongrel, chuffed gently, his beard shifting with his breath. But Mab whined at him gently to settle down and relax. But the bitch looked to her son with pleading eyes, she did not want to hear what he was going to say, her eyes watering slightly as she prepared for the worst. This was not a good time to be telling her bad news. 

"Father's dead!"

"What are you up to Scanlon?" The boxer growled softly as he stepped onto the clearing of grass in the moonlight. The full moon had risen and the Alsatian, Scanlon, was sitting nervously on a slight rise in the grass, gazing at the moon. His heart was filled with woe for the death of the father he had never met, but the boxer did not understand this. He had not been without a true father in his childhood, and his sire had certainly never achieved much, so why should Scanlon care. John had been their enemy in any case, his mother had been taken as a captive and not returned until Taro had fought for her, at least, that's what the rumours were. But Scanlon did not react to the boxer, Gunjin, the same dog to have stopped him fighting. His heart was hurting too much for him to care of any other dog's presence.

"Won't you even scold me for stopping you fighting? That's what you normally do." The big dog whined and sat down regally beside the youngster, but in the manner of all boxers his position always seemed one that was about to bounce forward into a run at a given chance. The pup merely snorted in defiance, he was annoyed indeed, but there were more important problems amongst the pack for him to care right now of simply fights.

"Am I not allowed to prove myself into a good position like Brody?" Scanlon scowled as he snarled, turning his head to the Captain of the Fourth Squad in aggression. He did not want company, already he had refused the comfort of his mother and that of his loving sister. Bitches tended to overdose any form of sadness to the extent it made him aggressive. But Scanlon had counted on his mother crying, she had done nothing but lower her head in sorrow and then curl back up in her hole.

"You're not in any favourable light, pup." The boxer snarled softly, luckily he was the only squad on duty tonight, the Italian Mastiff had taken first squad to the edge of the Alps to check the freshness of the territory boundaries. Plus Kanchō the Tibetan mastiff had taken the Second squad hunting for boar and deer around the forest rim, they'd probably come back with a sheep from a farmer's field. Plus Shiroi the Retriever and Koi the English Mastiff were simply on pup-guarding duty. "Fighting with that fat-head won't do anything but infuriate Akuma and put you in the Omega position. But I understand why you did it. Only an insecure Captain strikes out at the un-ranked and beats the messenger, though the news was good. Plus your timing isn't perfect. Most of the young males are competing for bitches with the older dogs, there's too few and the captains get first pick, you know that?"

"I know about that, but Brody is only one minute older and he's already Captain of Sixth squad and has got that Basenji bitch, Keshia, as his mate. I won't even have a chance because there's only twelve bitches in this whole pack, and twenty-seven dogs. Plus two of those are my mum and sister, and both Tibelda, Akili, and Tamoshii are my bet friends along with Hiroshi, Kensell, and Kin. There's just too many boys here. But it wasn't that I was thinking of." Scanlon growled softly, as much as he was eager to gain a bitch, and he knew his three male friends were of similar minds, plus his three females companions were not fond of mating with any of the pack specimens, his sister agreed with them. Most of the highest ranking dogs were too old for them, and they were not fond of the cruelty of most of the captains.

"Could it be your father's death? I know that Hougen killed him if it's any comfort, at least justice was served?" The boxer continued, itching his left ear with a hind-paw in thought. He could understand if revenge was wanted, but it had already been carried out by John's friends.

"But I wanted to meet him first!" Scanlon whined, his ears drooping low upon his head and his muzzle twitching as he tried not to sniff or howl his sorrows. This annoyed Gunjin, he did not feel that Scanlon was thinking properly, all the pack knew of John as a scoundrel that had stolen a favoured bitch. Brody understood this, hence why the pack accepted him. But Gunjin could not explain anything to a dog that refused to listen to wisdom. Instead his eyes caught the forms of Tibelda and Kensell, the Rottweiler siblings, they were obviously coming to greet their friend. But this gave Gunjin and idea.

"Ever asked them how it feels to be without any parents?" This retort made Scanlon turn to look toward his companions, standing up with his tail low but wagging g in greeting at the two dogs with tails docked to the very edge of the first bone, a mistake made by humans. But before his departure, Gunjin muttered something else. "Why not talk to Akuma, see if you can get him to give you a mission to prove your worth?"

* * *

Akili – Wisdom

Akuma – Devil

Brody – Ditch

Genba – The Place Where Things Are Happening

Gin – Silver

Gunjin – Soldier

Hougen – A Dialect

John – God's Gracious Gift

Kanchō – Spy

Kensell – Royal and Brave

Keshia – Favoured One

Kin – Golden

Kōgeki – Attack

Mab – Mirthful Joy

Scanlon – Snarer of Hearts

Tamoshii – Soul/ Spirit

Taro – First-born Male

Tibelda – Boldest Person

Weed – N/A


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two: A Trick Job 

The Rottweiler siblings stepped to the side of their companion, sniffing at him gently but noting that he was in a bad mood. They'd watched Gunjin go, but they had not heard what was said and could understand the mood. But they had heard of John's death and Hougen's defeat, and they knew how it affected Scanlon.

"I'm sure he died a warrior, Scanlon." Kensell growled deeply, he turned his head to question his sister when Scanlon did not reply, afraid he might have said something wrong. But Tibelda gave a slow sighing snort of slight disinterest and yet uncertainty. Yet Kensell decided he might need to say more, some more meaningful to the younger German Shepherd. "You'll be a great warrior too you know, you'll end up in a position of honour here after doing some great deed against our enemies. It won 't be long now till you're pulled into a good rank."

"Thanks." Scanlon muttered and turned his head to his friends to reveal a cheeky grin. He then got a comforting lick on the cheek from Tibelda and she sat down close to him with Kensell following to sit on the opposite side. They looked at their slightly smaller, but bolder companion. Since they had been young the trio had stuck together when the bigger pups and older animals had ridiculed Scanlon because he was not like his siblings. But there was something spawning in the young shepherd's mind that he had to let out. Tibelda noticed this change in manner and quickly she questioned him.

"What's on your mind? Have you got a plan of action?" Tibelda queried with her nose twitching slightly with interest. As much as she was quite smart and sensible, nothing Scanlon had ever led them into had been safe and she enjoyed the adventure. If Scanlon was planning a game for them all to join in with, then Tibelda was going to do anything she could to be a helpful part within it. Scanlon turned to her and winked one eye, Kensell gave a gentle snort but his face was scrunched up in slight worry.

"I'm going to see our Boss and question him. I want a mission or a task at least, something to prove how keen I am to be a good pack member! Maybe then I might get a little respect, and we might all be fully accepted." Scanlon growled and then he lunged off the mound and hurried straight toward the boss's area on the opposite side of the clearing. With a shrug of their shoulders, shake of their heads, and a snort or two of "oh well", the two black and tan dogs bolted down after him, steady and fast.

* * *

Scanlon was quick with his excitement, but perhaps a little too quick. He had not considered nor remembered the rules around the boss's den, let alone the shifts in guard. As he neared the top of the ditch where the leader's sleeping quarters was located, he had to leap neatly to the side as another dog's head leapt at him. Giant jaws snapped on thin air as Scanlon steered over and cleared both ditch and the pit bull within. He paused on the other side, gasping from nervous panic at the sudden attack. The big red and white animal made no attempt to go after him, but merely growled ferociously out of the hole at him.

"What are you doing here pup? Only the ranked animals are permitted here. What do you want?" The beast growled. This animal was Tsumi, he was massive and terribly agile for a heavily built Pit Bull Terrier, he was not a nice animal either. Often he was put on guard duty because he was so mean and cruel. No animal was permitted near his charge. But for all his strength, he was not clever at all. At first Scanlon did not know what to reply, but swiftly his two companions were there and they gave him enough courage to question.

"I wanted to talk to the boss, I've got an important question for him. Can I please speak to him Tsumi, sir." Scanlon whined pathetically like a puppy. Another thing about Pit bulls in general was their self-esteem, it was a terrier thing really, if they felt they were being praised they could be a little selfish or over-zealous about it. Right now the big beast was puffing out his white chest and snorting gently he bobbed his head but raised a paw. They would have to wait for the boss's answer. Of course, Tsumi paraded into the hole that separated out into a wider chamber, all a former tunnel for some wild animal that was long ago extinct. Within there were the voices of two other commanding guards, a poodle named Nezumi and a greyhound known as Tōi. They were both quite fast animals but they were not as dumb as Tsumi was. Eventually there was the sound of a deeper voice and then Tsumi emerged to look at the three dogs with a proud look upon his muzzle. As he spoke he kept his head to the sky.

"The boss will see you and your two companions, but you must remember the rules and always address him as 'My Lord'." The big animal growled and then he stepped aside for the three bigger youngsters to hop down below to go see the boss.

Inside there was darkness but little else. The dogs would not be in there two long because already they could see that it got quite narrow and suffocating toward where the boss was. This was only because Akuma liked to make everyone around d him choke and cringe with fear of suffocation. This stopped long arguments and fights within his presence as well as foolish words from unwelcome, and yet welcomed visitors. Right now the three youngsters did not know if they were safe around him. Especially not when they were informed to sit by the white and black hound and the black poodle. They were not allowed to close to the hanging dewlap and sagging jaw of powerful teeth, but they did not need to be to hear his words.

"Ah, Scanlon, Tibelda, and Kensell is it?" The big mastiff questioned, obediently the three younger animals bobbed their heads after gulping a bit with fear. They looked to the commanders but nothing was said. Then the big dog quested, "What brings you to me so late in the day?"

"I wanted to know if I could have a task from you, my lord." Scanlon gulped nervously. At first he had not realised that the words had been his own, quickly he lowered his head shamefully but the big dog growled softly. It was almost as if he was laughing and the eyes turned to the two guards that grinned cheekily. They'd been expecting him to come to them.

"We've been waiting for you to say that young pup! But it's amazing how we had a feeling it would be tonight of all times." The big dog seemed to chuckle as he snorted each word. "Funnily enough I think I've got the perfect job for you, after all there are so few good dogs around I don't think I could trust this task to any of my 'bullying' commanders." Akuma growled his laughter and Scanlon's face lit up. He could not help but smile with delight, he was finally going to do something useful for the pack. But his two companions were slightly unnerved, they did not believe in coincidence, especially not in this pack and their hearts were beating fast. Something was up, with John dead was Akuma now going to get rid of his only faithful-to-legend son? But the great lug continued. After he'd spoken, Kensell was compelled to reply with questioning.

"With the whole Hougen event out of the way, I need a dog to go as an ambassador to the Ohu pack and gain them as allies, or at least to pledge our allegiance to them. It will be a hard task through hard areas of the Alps where Hougen's rebels are trying to set up residence. Most are loyal to the Ohu Leader, but there are some that are not inclined to cut you any slack. This job will only succeed if you are willing to gather bitches of fine stock on your journey to join them as a gift." Akuma growled softly, he settled back after speaking to look at the excited expression on the youngster's face. But it was then that Kensell had to interrupt.

"I thought we were enemies with them..." Kensell questioned and he got a swift cuff from the Poodle that growled at him angrily. "Sorry, I thought we were still displeased with them, my lord." With this added Kensell bowed humbly but with great irritation and annoyance at how he was being treated by these dogs. But the master did not seem angry at all and he gave a gentle snort.

"True, at one point we were, but I've decided to put that behind us. They did us a great favour in defeating the Great Dane brothers, its only fair that we accept their superiority and that we also extend a paw of friendship. With such good ties and allies, we will always have help when needed. But I want you to try your best to get in the Leader's good paws, so that they at least have some idea as to how courageous our pack really is." Akuma growled softly. At this Scanlon 's tail began to wag with joy. He was being complimented by the master and given a grand diplomatic mission, he even had a chance to find a few worthy females to give the Ohu pack! There could be no grander position. But then he pondered about it, he could get killed quite easily if he did not watch his tongue and step, how was he to get the bitches and expect to survive?

"I'll just choose the dogs most suited to accompany you, Scanlon. It's only right that you be around tough dogs and that you also have smart and strong animals. Its also a good idea if there ones that will work with you and under you." Akuma grinned and the bottom jaw of ragged and nasty teeth were just visible. Scanlon could not stop his tail from wagging with excitement, but both the black and tan siblings were a little more nervous. They did not portray it in their stance but there was real fear growing within their hearts. Why was Akuma being so eager to choose Scanlon's team and give him such an odd task? But before they would left Akuma tell of who would work with their companion, Tibelda had to ask a question.

"If I may so boldly ask, my lord..." Tibelda quested timidly but softly. Akuma turned to her and bobbed his head, pleased to hear something from the seemingly quiet bitch. Tibelda bobbed her head in thanks and then spoke again. "Why would you appease them with bitches? Surely that will only make them think badly of us?"

"Ah, my dear little one." The poodle spoke instead of his master, he was given the permission of course with a bob from the master, but both Scanlon and Kensell were eager to hear the answer. "It's easy enough to say that, but with so many males in that area and almost no bitches, it will give them the opportunity to have the families that they care about so greatly. Plus if you, for example, went, well you might find an Ohu warrior that you find yourself quite eagerly to serve under. There are no shortages of males. But what I heard was that there were only around seven or eight females in that whole region that stay there permanently." Nezumi growled almost suspiciously. But his inclusion of Tibelda in that instance made both Rottweilers growl in agitation, how much ruder or expectant could their pack masters be?

"Excellent to include that," Akuma growled almost playfully as he itched and ear and prepared to conclude the meeting. "You two will be joining Scanlon along with his sister, Akili, Kin, Hiroshi, Tamoshii, and captain Nezumi here. He'll make sure you all get there perfectly well. Now, go off and rest, you leave when you're ready and in secret. We don't want your brother acting cocky. I'll send Tōi along to fetch your friends and then Nezumi will wake you when he thinks it is best to go. Off you go now." With that, the three youngsters bolted off, Scanlon's tail wagging furiously and the sounds of his howls of excitement filling the air around him.

* * *

When the greyhound had also gone to go and tell the other recruits, it was only Akuma and the poodle left. But there was something very threatening about them suddenly. The great dog turned to the poodle and continued his words.

"With them distracting Ohu we can at least take over some of Hougen's old ground. But they need to be wandering in circles as much as possible. We need them to gather a lot of eager bitches to the ranks. They're to stay around Ohu till autumn as well, that will give our ranks time to swell. Already I've sent Kanchō and Kōgeki to go gather dogs, but Hougen cleared out most of the bitches around here when he scared them off. Not only that but his old commanders will also have settled down to have families." The poodle nodded and Akuma bobbed his head slowly as he took in a deep breath . He then remembered the other swift errand he needed his poodle companion to run for him, to find that Jack Russell. "Oh, and while you're at it find our little spy, Neko. I've got a very, very important job for him to do, and you'll need to be around when I talk to him. If all goes to plan then we'll be sitting happily in a land filled with bitches."


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three: An Enemy or an Enchantress 

Three days had passed on their journey into the Southern Alps, but there had been no sign of any other creatures, save the high whines of the game birds. It was these birds that they feasted off, but though nothing occurred, the high sweet scent of the blossoms and the many spring flowers made it nonetheless enjoyable. But though Scanlon thought he was leading half of the time, Nezumi was always too close and steering them all carefully, though he seemed afraid of something.

After a fourth day, the poodle chose to stop and wait a few days before carrying on. But they had no sooner stopped in a clearing amongst trees then spotted a rising spiral of smoke in a nearby clearing. Eagerly, but carefully, Scanlon and two of his friends, Kin a fawn coloured Staffordshire bull terrier, and Hiroshi a red Shiba Inu, crept toward the smoke to investigate. With their absence, Nezumi disappeared to hunt, Akili and Kerrianne also wandered off, whilst Kensell, Tibelda, and the Doberman bitch, Tamoshii, stayed behind to rest and guard. But what Scanlon and his pals found was intriguing….

"Either a very rich old hermit, or that human's living off the land and selling it on too! Whatever it is, he ain't poor to own fifteen proper hunting dogs, and he definitely must be strict to keep them all from breeding and yet working with him. I wouldn't go back there though, those working dogs are probably dumb, part-wild, terrified, and…" Kensell had been growling as he chewed at a few game birds. The others were also eating; Akili and Kerrianne had found the area littered in game birds and other prey items. But Nezumi had not returned, and Scanlon had felt compelled to interrupt.

"Beautiful is what they are!" He snapped savagely at his good friends, and they both lowered their ears in annoyance or bared their teeth in slight fear. But Scanlon was not afraid to continue. "The bitches are more then good enough prizes for Ohu's pack! I cannot fail this mission and we're resting here for a few days anyway!" The others were unsure what to make of this phrase, but most felt that Scanlon was taking his job too much to his brain. All except Kin and Hiroshi of course, they had seen the female dogs and most particularly one Labrador-like Retriever they had seen. Most importantly they had sworn to their shepherd friend that they would not speak of him having talked and arranged a meeting with this bitch, after all she had spotted them in their hiding positions.

"Humans can't be trusted, it's not the dogs we're nervous of, but imagine what a human could do if his prized and expensive pet disappears?" Kerrianne growled quietly at her brother, but Scanlon bared his teeth at her. They both stood up with hackles up, growling angrily, and ready to fight. The others were afraid to try and come between the two quarrelsome siblings, and the air around them grew tense. But it was not until nervous Hiroshi mentioned a noise near by that they snapped out of it and every dog stood to fight.

"It's only Nezumi!" Akili snarled gently, and the Basenji bitch turned her scarred muzzle toward the greying poodle as he stepped through the bushes to their small clearing, not a single prey item in his jaws. No one dared to ask him why not and he would not talk. Instead he merely insisted that they all settled down to sleep, and did not think of the humans. So they did, but Scanlon lay aside from his companions and was the last to fall to sleep.

So, for a few long hours, until it was truly dark around their grove of bushes, and the stars were burning brightly overhead, Scanlon slept. He then threw his head up to the sky and looked carefully around at the other dogs. No one had felt the need to go on guard duty, so Scanlon had no one to trick or avoid. He simply stood up and paced off silently along the stretch of scrub and forest, down a steep hill into and through thicker scrubs smelling of birds and rabbits. Then he was at the edge of a large wide clearing beside a lake, staring at the little raised wooden house, which sat ominously with light beaming from its doors and windows.

He paused at the edge of the clearing, nervous about what could be found with the path of humans. But, though light poured unnaturally from a doorway that was made of two sliding doors, he was nervous, though they had been parted to make room for the dogs to go out. Yet he gained confidence once he spotted a soft brown-like Labrador-ish bitch sitting on the floor between the slide-doors, waiting for him. She gave a gentle toss of her neat almost cocoa brown head to the side, and Scanlon stepped toward the light with a wagging tail, no fear visible in his eyes.

"Good evening, Miho. I came back, just like you asked me to come back." Scanlon grinned at the pedigree Chesapeake Bay retriever bitch, but she seemed disinterested. In fact, though she had captured Scanlon's imagination earlier, when she had hunted in water so expertly and then taunted him with words about her breeding and grand genetic traits. But her yellow amber eyes seemed harsh, if slightly guilty, and his wagging slackened as he watched her. Then it was aided as she stepped down, nosed him carefully, and then padded off back into the house.

Thinking it was an invite to join her inside, Scanlon stepped forward and heard growls. He had not checked the area with his nose and he had not even told the others were he was. As the other hunting dogs stepped into the light Scanlon, he realised it had all been planned. He also noticed a very large mastiff like dog stepping toward him, wearing a spiked collar and a cruel grin…

Coming soon Part 4: First Blood, First Bitch 


	4. Chapter 4

Part Four: First Blood, First Bitch 

It was the sound of a fight going on that had alerted Kensell, and he had woken to find Scanlon missing. Quickly and as quiet as his breed was, the big Rottweiler stood up and prepared to stalk down to see the commotion, but as he began to prowl, his sister rose her head and let out a gentle whine.

"What's wrong, Kenny?" She whined nervously, and in surprise Kensell froze with one leg raised like a pointer. He turned around and shushed his sister, urging her to go back to sleep so that he could inspect. She was loathe to do as her big brother asked, but he let loose a gentle growl and quietened her. She dropped her head back down and Kensell trotted down to go and investigate the loud noises. He did not have to go any further then the hill to identify Scanlon at the centre of the scene, and he had to hold back the urge to pelt down and save his young leader.

Scanlon was not having a good time at all, he had been leapt upon by at least five different dogs and they all seemed to be taking turns at who was allowed to bite him. He had tried to kick and snap at any creature that came near him and at first he had been quite lucky and caught most of the first attackers so they had pulled back quite quickly, but their leader was smart. After ten minutes of fighting as individuals that leader had given the order for them to hold him, and the dogs had all grabbed parts of Scanlon's ragged fur and thrown him to the ground, pinning him down so that the younger ones that had been scared at first could just lunge forward and bite his belly. Scanlon winced in agony, but then with another command from the boss he was set down and the big dog paced around him as Scanlon wheezed and whined. He had not the strength to lift up his head now and was staring like a smacked puppy at the bitch that had betrayed him. Now the big boss dog was preparing to killing him properly, and Scanlon felt his pride float away with the fact that he had failed after only a few days on the mission.

The large dog reared up and lurched over the German shepherd, his mouth open and his body prepared to stamp on the dog's chest and catch his throat when Scanlon convulsed. But as he leapt the dog received an echoing blow to the side that knocked him flying with a whine. Then something grabbed him before he landed and threw him again. It continued for a few moments and the other dogs in the pack stared nervously at the black dog that was killing their master. After four catches the big black animal took the offender by the throat and smashed him down against the ground five times till the body was broken and stiff. The leading dog was dead and suddenly all strength fell out of the remaining animals. They leapt about in shrieks of panic and tried to get away as the beast tore around them, grabbing and throwing any creature that got too close. Then the big animal went toward Scanlon, and Scanlon blacked out completely.

Scanlon's eyes opened slowly and he had to blink several times for the light that was burning them. He peered around, curious as to why he was being bumped as he lay down. Scanlon turned his head from the ground where the dirt track as they climbed into the mountains were fleeing away from him, he spotted the black head and the other dogs in his group pacing up ahead. Scanlon was not dead, captured, or too badly humiliated, but he was in agony and could barely moved at all. His eyes cast around to the nearest dog on his flank, spotting no one and guessing that they were all ignoring him because he had been stupid once more. With a low whine Scanlon nudged the back of the Rottweiler's head gently, apologetic and pitiful.

"Save it for now Scanlon. I know you were only trying to get a prize bitch to give to the Ohu Soldiers but you should have told us first. Its just lucky that I wasn't deaf otherwise you'd be torn in about five different ways. Rest some more and I'll tell you when we've stopped or when I switch carrying duties with the others." Kensell growled gently, and Scanlon grinned at his friend. There was no love lost between them both at least, but he had no idea if the other dogs felt the same way.

After a few hours resting and a few hours awake and watching the world go by, the other dogs became visible close by on a sideline to the dirt track, licking their tired paws and preparing a bed for Scanlon to lie in. The German shepherd was taken careful, though he whined and winced a lot, from the back of the big black and tan and both animals drifted to sleep after they were given a small meal.

After another hour of rest the two dogs were up, though Scanlon was looking around nervously at the lack of companions. Kensell was watching a point in the forest behind Scanlon, his nose twitching and his eyes widening. The German shepherd moved to stand and turn himself, but Kensell gave a low growl. Scanlon froze with his head down, something dangerous was close by, and it was obvious the big male dog was watching it.

Then without hesitation the big dog lunged over his friend and with a yelp of surprise Scanlon leapt up to see what had been caught. Kensell sat like a lazy bear over the back of a young bitch. She was scrabbling around and snarling angrily, but Kensell did not seem inclined to move. Scanlon's limbs hurt but he managed to pace around to have a look at this young animal. He noticed quite quickly that she was a white and black crossbreed, something like a Collie mixed with some sight hound, and she did not look like she had any trace of the typical breeds that were found in Japan, but that did not matter. She stilled looked quite pretty though slim and only furred slightly. She was in no way going to escape from Kensell's clutches, so quite calmly, Scanlon asked her what her name was, and she answered calmly.

"I am Amaya, and you're trespassing on my family's land! If my father found you here then you'd regret because he's tear your ears off! He's already got the rest of you captive, you're just lucky you caught me and not any of my brothers or pack members." She snarled angrily, but Kensell just snorted gently and Scanlon shook his head in confusion. There were too many rival dog packs in the Japanese Alps these days, and their mission was just getting harder and harder….


	5. Chapter 5

God's Gracious Gift, a Snarer of Hearts – Part Five: Power of the Pack

God's Gracious Gift, a Snarer of Hearts – Part Five: Power of the Pack

"My father will strip your skin from your bones for this!" The bitch had been ranting like this for a few hours now, though she had given up scrabbling at the ground. As was his manner, Kensell had remained holding the bitch at the back, lying upon her long-ways so he was not stopping her from breathing or kicking. But as was the way of most reasonably content dogs, the great Rottweiler had indeed fallen asleep.

Scanlon had also had some rest, but the bitch seemed keen to annoy him the most. With her one moveable limb she would flick stones at him. Amaya seemed to hold a grudge with the German shepherd even though they had only just met. Scanlon was not strong enough either to move out of her way. But eventually it grew too warm and even Amaya fell into an irritated and uncomfortable doze.

But there was a yelp from the bitch that evening that woke the dog up. He opened his eyes to see Kensell's massive jaws locked tightly around the bitch's skull. Her eyes were wide with panic as the teeth slowly crushed downward, and a thin trickle of blood slithered down her head to brush past her eyes.

Whatever had sparked the Rottweiler to grab her head like that, it urged Scanlon to stand up even though he was in pain. Never before had he seen Kensell grab a dog like this, especially when he would have no trouble cracking her little skull right open. But though it could have been caused maybe by and insult to the great dog's sister, Scanlon did not want to see the bitch killed when she could be of some help to them.

"Don't move Amaya! If you do he might just kill you!" Scanlon winced as he tried to stand straight on aching limbs. He managed to stand a little hunched and then the dog wobbled weakly toward the great black and tan animal, whining low. "Drop her Kensell, please? If you do not, they I will be forced to hurt you!"

"Wha…" Amaya worded nervously but Scanlon snort at her. He stood as straight as he could at Kensell's side and then he growled low once more. Kensell still did not drop her, but he was unsure what Scanlon would attempt to do. To be quite honest, Scanlon had no idea what he was going to do at all. Even if he tried to fight with Kensell, it would only end with him being hurt even more. Either way he was not as much of a threat as he would like to have been, but then Kensell knew every single one of Scanlon's attack moves. But then Scanlon decided to just go ahead and he leapt suddenly, despite his pains, clamping his harsh teeth hard into Kensell's soft nose.

With a yelp of surprise the great Rottweiler released the bitch who slumped to the floor. Kensell turned as Scanlon released, but the shepherd knew what was coming. As the big dog tried to bite him, Scanlon did something odd. It was only odd because Scanlon had never done it before, especially not in so much pain, and it was very cheeky. Scanlon bounced off Kensell's shoulder and landed beside Amaya, grinning. The shock had knocked Kensell onto his side, and now the big beast growled at him in anger.

"What the hell are you doing? Why are you defending that little wench when she refuses to help us out? She has no right to say anything about something she does not understand!" Kensell snarled, and he charged at him. But the German shepherd, despite his pain was not slow, he had no real bulk to smash into the bigger creature, but he had the luck of any son of John, keen teeth. With a forward leap and an arch in his back he leapt over the Rottweiler's head and slammed his paws down behind the big mass, bashing Kensell's face into the ground. Then his keen teeth came down into the hard muscle at the scruff of his neck and swung him aside. Then Scanlon collapsed panting in front of the bitch, though she stared nervously at him.

"No matter what she said, Amaya has a right to speak her mind! To silence someone from their opinion is the highest form of cruelty and tyranny. What are you, Hougen?" Scanlon gasped at Kensell, and the black and tan gave a low whine of pity, and the bitch's eyes seemed to stare at the shepherd's scraggy form differently. There was a slight edge to her look now, one of respect and perhaps she understood why Scanlon was the leader of the 'pack'. But she did not want to stick around; she did not want the big Rottweiler to kill her so easily. But for the moment, though he sat down and threatened her more slowly and warningly, there would be no escape. The trio calmed and rested once more.

"That little female has run out on us!" Kensell barked loudly that evening as the stars above them shone. Scanlon's head snapped up quickly and he looked about with confusion, but the bitch was indeed gone. He stood up quickly, a little limply but otherwise not as stiff and sore as he had been. It was incredibly dark and he could barely see the big black mass of muscle. But he could hear the swearing growls and the deep snorts and snuffs as Kensell searched the ground for a trail. Some of the words escaping the big beast's mouth as he swore made Scanlon snort with humour, and the black dog stared at him with confused eyes.

"If your sister heard that she'd kill you!" Scanlon grinned, standing up and snuffing at the trail with Kensell very carefully. The pair butted heads gently in appreciation of each other, they were missing the others quite a lot, and Scanlon had not known Kensell to be away from his sister so long. But the pair of them soon caught a slight scent on the bushes around them and they trailed with the wind toward the rock formations that Kensell had been eyeing earlier in the day. "The trail's quite fresh; she must have waited till we were fully asleep. Sorry my eyes drooped buddy, but I reckon they must have their pack over by the rocks, a good place to ambush us!"

They paced onward after her scent, keen to find out whether she was heading to her pack or just trying to trick them. But after a good mile of pacing with their noses to the ground and ears straining in the twilight, there was a familiar scent, like their friends, and then there was the scent of blood, dog blood. They could not see the great rocks surrounding them, but they could smell the stone in the air as well as feel the coolness of rock near their hides. But the scent of blood was overwhelming, it was not their friends' blood, but it was a different kind of blood.

They inched toward an area with strange lit-up areas, maybe the remnants of human inventions that had never been completely turned off. In fact, as they walked along a seemingly narrowing trail, they spotted lanterns hanging from lumps of wood; perhaps the dogs around here stole them from man constantly. It was not a worrying thing for the two males, until they spotted the random dog bodies scattered around the pointed pieces of wood, and the streams and curtains of blood down the rocks around them. Blood stank everywhere and almost blindly with ringing heads and stinging noses, the two dogs blundered into an assembly of some very dangerous dogs.

This pack was a mix of Tosa Inu, Akitas, Shibas, Huskies, a few collies here and there, some mastiffs, and a series of mix-breed that all shared a common look with the biggest dog of the lot, a massive Alaskan malamute. Quite by surprise, the two dogs were pinned by two black Tosa, yelping in surprise and wriggling a little till they were at least able to stand, with teeth attached to their backs. Both males were dragged forward through the assembly and toward the big black and white furry animal. It glared at them with odd eyes, a sign some animals saw as madness. They were both a little anxious, until they noted the bitch sitting near the male, it was Amaya. But then they were distracted by some familiar calls!

"Scanlon! Kensell! We thought they'd killed you!" Their sisters cried, though their poodle 'general' did not seem too pleased. The dogs were packed together in cave entrances with other dogs, all of them nervous looking and afraid, the ones that had probably witnessed the killings of their friends. All around the entrances were vicious looking dogs, dangerous looking dogs! The males almost gave cries of delight at seeing their sisters and explaining what had happened, but the malamute beat them to it.

"No, we hadn't caught either of them, but after treating my daughter like they did, I'll tear their throats out now!" The great dog snarled and every dog shrank. This animal had the look of a crazed killer, or maybe a wolf within his horrid eyes. "I am Osamu, the lord of this canyon and this valley. All you've paced in has been kept safe by my pack's blood. No humans come here because they will be killed, and all dogs venturing here that fail to submit to me, are sacrificed to our gods! You two are the next ones for the killing!" He almost howled at them, his eyes seeming to roll in his head rather then stare straight at the two males. Kensell gave a savage growl of anger, but it was the little white coloured bitch with her black patches that protested.

"They did not harm me father, they just caught me off guard and…" Amaya started, cringing at her father a looking nervously toward the two males. Her eyes looked softly at Scanlon in particular; she did not really and truly want to see him die. But in her distracted viewing she leapt in surprise and crouched on the floor as her father's teeth grazed the top of her head.

"SILENCE! You're already in trouble for your foolish haste, I told you to stay home with your siblings! Its shame enough you were caught by and idiot of muscle and a wounded puppy!" Osamu snarled and then he turned toward the two males, pacing closer to them and snarling like a hissing alligator. "They're both going to die tonight, and I'll kick them off the cliff myself!" But as the great malamute turned away to lead the way to the top of the cliffs, Scanlon's cocky nature took over, along with his brain.

"I don't think killing us would be a very wise move, sir." Scanlon grinned and gently licked the side of his lip in a cunning threat. This made the big spitz-type dog pause with a leg raised and then turn his head around. Sitting curiously, he nudged his head to the side so that the dogs holding Scanlon would back off. When they did, the nose was raised in slight curiosity, asking what the pup meant, and Scanlon grinned again.

"Done! But if I loose and you kill me, my pack will surely kill you anyhow!" He licked his lips and flashed his teeth, before lunging and initiating the fight.

But the bullying boss-dog was on him within minutes and he rammed heavily into Scanlon's side, knocking the youngster straight across the ring the other dogs had backed away to make. The young male gave a yelp of surprise but suddenly leapt back up and spun round to fight, rearing up and punching out with his longer and neatly muscled forelegs. Osamu took a few hits to his left eye and he leapt backwards. The German shepherd pushed forward in a strange lunge, his chest crashing into the side of the malamute's, belting the wolf-like monster against a stone on the ground, but it did nothing to the beast's fury. Suddenly Osamu had a great weight leaning onto his shoulders and something grabbed at his scruff shaking him roughly. The hard teeth of Scanlon fixed tightly to the malamute as he began to swing the beast around and yet somehow Osamu managed to clip Scanlon's belly with his teeth.

The tan and black coat was stained with a streak of red blood and he released the older dog. Osamu used this chance to run into him but he kicked at the dog again. Osamu had been expecting this and he dodged quickly, spinning round to the youngster's side then clamping his teeth into Scanlon's back. The two dogs then began to grapple on the dirt, blood spilling everywhere from their neat teeth, but neither letting go. The Scanlon knew Osamu wouldn't let go and he tried to twist his body around to kick Osamu and bite him off. The big dog dodged about and caused the youngster more pain as he raked the teeth along a shoulder, grinding into the flesh.

But this little pup was faster and by the end of the ten-minute match, he was getting tired and so was Osamu. With the swiftest of motions Scanlon spun his head back, Osamu let go to dodge but his throat was grabbed instantly. The Alsatian lifted himself up and shook Osamu about like a rat. The bullying tyrant was totally still as he was swung and everyone around was very quiet and still, no one had roared out since the fight had begun, but they had expected that the younger dogs to be dead already. Now though Osamu lay limp in the shepherd's jaws and he dropped him onto the floor, the malamute's neck badly torn and his eyes rolling into his head in agony, awaiting a death blow. Scanlon then collapsed on the floor and whimpered in pain, the fight was over and he had won, but his job was not over yet and he forced himself to stand, so he could deal with the threatening monster.

The death-blow was not thrown and instead Scanlon snorted at the old dog and ripped half an ear off, snarling with anger and rage. He had managed to won, and surprisingly, he had won the respect of the other dogs, which shrank in size at his stare. So perhaps Scanlon had inherited something from his father, he was a kind of leader, but in some ways, and Scanlon wondered if he was leader material. After ordering the release of his companions and the prisoners, the shepherd pup knew what was expected of him now., Scanlon stood with his nose in the air and let out a long and lingering howl of victory, but that was only one part of their journey achieved, they still had a long way to go, and he had to find Ohu.

_Next Time…_

**God's Gracious Gift – Six: Funny Smells**

With a new section of dogs at paw, Scanlon finally feels the true abilities handed to him by John, but there's trouble. A smell that is slightly familiar is following the pack about, and their poodle pal keeps wandering off. But there are more issues as Scanlon explains one of the key tasks within his mission. But though some of the dogs accept it as usual, something about it is bothering Amaya.


	6. Chapter 6

Part Six: Funny Smells

Part Six: Funny Smells

_Author's Note: My directions at the moment for travelling around the lands described in the Ginga series are a little sketchy at best. Most of my brain says one thing and the rest says another, so please excuse the incorrect locations. _

Scanlon did not stay around with this dangerous pack for too long; he gathered the prisoners and let them loose before asking anyone willing to join them. Several were more then eager to join him, and others were travelling the same way and offered their friendship for whenever it was needed. The big leader of the pack remained silent, even when Scanlon returned the role of alpha dog back to him once more. But there was someone else that stepped forward to join them that Scanlon had not expected.

"You don't have to join us you know, Amaya. You can stay with your father's pack or go off on your own into the world. Whatever you decide though, I don't hold your actions earlier against you, and I would be happy to remain your friend." Scanlon grinned at the nervous looking bitch, his tail wagging with delight. But Amaya was not going to leave him when she owed him already, and soon the groups of dogs were off up the mountains.

The packs travelled together for a while, heading north still and this time they separated at the very foot of their first real mountain. The mountain was high and looked quite treacherous, but on this side of the Southern Alps it was the first real marker that they were at the boarders of their home countries. Beyond the mountains were the lands of between the north and Southern Alps, such as the realm of the Kai dogs, the Koga dogs, and the mighty beasts of Mutsu before they reached the Northern Alps and Ohu. Here they separated out and those remaining were corralled together so that Scanlon could explain the situation to them.

"I can't take you any further unless you allow me to explain what is expected of you. If you do not accept these things, then you are more then welcome to go your own way and I will not bother you, but will still consider you friends." Scanlon began as he sat in front of the mob of dogs, which numbered about twenty or so now. He looked at them proudly, like a true leader, and amongst the group, he noted how keen Amaya seemed to listen in, so he continued. "I was chosen from my master's pack to lead this expedition to the lands of Ohu and the home of their warriors. The plan was to arrange an alliance, for they defeated our old enemy Hougen, and I am a son of one of the warriors there, or at least was. Either way, the task of making friends included an offering of the one resource that most packs in these lands have lost out on because of Hougen's cruelty, and that would be females. All the females here may join the Ohu pack if they wish or prefer, but I will not force you. The males can join as warriors or they can return to our pack, but once again I will not force you. Does this make enough sense to you all?"

"Yes, we all understand and we accept these. It is the least we can do after your pack saved us from such terrible deaths, beside, most of us have no pack to return to, and the Ohu Soldiers are very famous." One male collie barked in response after conferring with one another. Their words were followed by gentle smiles or grins, and a big grin emerged on Scanlon's face. But despite his happiness, he could not spot the slight look of concern or perhaps even upset in Amaya's eyes.

"Thank you; you could barely understand how much this means to me! But now we should be going onward toward the summit so that we can cross over into new lands!" Scanlon yipped with delight, and it was not long before the dogs were all lined up and moving forward in a tight formation. They hit the snow-less slopes with ease and there were still many blossom trees spread about, as well as hidden valleys and rocks. But whilst they continued, Scanlon had begun to slow from some stinging injuries and found himself standing beside Kensell. He knew the bigger dog had some issues with him about his foolishness, and Scanlon found himself questioning whether Kensell still wished to remain part of the group.

"I will come, because I want to see what you're like as a leader! Already I've saved you once, but you have made a few rash decisions so far. However, I think you changed back there when Amaya was my prisoner. After-all, no one's ever stood up to me like that except Tibelda!" Kensell had joked, and they had continued on their long march toward the mountains. By evening every dog was hungry and tired, so they stopped at a cave entrance within the mountainside, some old miner tunnels, and in the small woodlands and hidden valleys around, they gathered food for one another.

That night Scanlon and the other dogs slept well, with Kensell and the poodle on guard. The dogs slept well and though there was barely any sound of danger, Kensell was cautious. Since leaving the pack he had always felt confused how the poodle had been chosen to go along with them, and yet Scanlon was allowed to be the pack leader. But Kensell often considered himself not as smart as his sister, and Tibelda had not seemed to find Captain Nezumi a suspicious character. She simply assumed him to be there as an overseer, but at the same time she agreed that it was very strange for Scanlon to be given such priority.

"I'm just going for a leak!" Nezumi had barked at the big Rottweiler, a foolish grin on his face, but his voice an annoying snarling sound. With a snort and a nod of slight annoyance, Kensell allowed him to go and do his business. Then Kensell let out a gentle growling bark at the night sky as the sound of a wolf's howl echoed around gently. He did not want to encounter wolves up the mountain side, but he knew that they would be able to handle it, together.

On his return Kensell could not help but smell something very familiar on the poodle's coat, but he could not think of it. He let Nezumi go without even bothering him or asking the question of where he had been. But he had noted the strange scent and also the length of time it had taken Nezumi to get back. But Kensell was smart enough to keep his mouth shut, and when morning returned to them he was walking up the mountain alongside everyone else without even thinking about the events of the night.

The climb up the mountain continued and it took them into a dangerous series of storms and snows. For the first few hours of the march a storm had managed to creep over the head of the range and let out a flurry of snow into the mob. They were partially blinded and had to hunker down to the face of the mountain for a good hour or so before it calmed a bit. But snow continued to fall, and though they were able to move on, the cold made their joints ache and they were doing little more then creeping forward. The weather remained bad for quite a while, and as soon as the snow began to break up, the wind reached them.

"Help me!" Scanlon had heard a young bitch cry as she had tried to jump forward and been caught by the wind. The young male had lunged after her and managed to catch her by the tail before the wind had knocked her clean off the side of the mountain. The little spaniel bitch had quickly thanked Scanlon and hurried to her fellows, but in the moment that Scanlon had stood proud, relaxed that he'd saved one bitch, a greater gust knocked him over.

"I've got you Scanlon! Hold on and I'll get you up!" Kensell growled as he managed to catch Scanlon's left paw in his great jaws. Scanlon was hanging off the edge, staring up at the big black beast that he sped over to grab him with wide eyes. But he had no need to worry as the big male pulled him right back onto the path. All the others had stopped to make sure that Scanlon was safe, and they all gave gentle sighs of surprise at how happy their leader seemed.

"Well, I think that proves you as one thing at least. I know you're on my side no matter what Kensell!" Scanlon joked whilst he continued to catch his breath. He had been quite shocked by the big male's speed, but the wind was starting to calm and they needed to press on still. He bounded up to the top of the group, Amaya pausing in her stride at the front to wait for him. In the meantime the big Rottweiler slotted back into place beside his sister and began to speak to her of the poodle, but their tones were hushed and not in the same language that the other dogs were used to.

The dogs bedded down under a small outcropping higher in the mountains, but once again the poodle was on guard and once again he left. This time though Amaya had been on guard beside him, and he had needed to make a greater amount of effort in his storylines. Unlike Kensell, Amaya knew nothing about him and so was suspicious of him immediately, but Captain Nezumi was still permitted to wander off. In the meantime Amaya slumped down against the snowy edge of her post and stared out at the low world below with some sorrow. She was so wrapped in thought that she did not realise that she had a visitor.

"Something bothering you, Amaya?" Scanlon whispered gently, sitting up from where he had been snoozing and yawning slowly. He shook each leg in turn and then his head as he padded toward her side to look out at the world. Amaya had leapt in surprise at his approach and seemed to be bowing her head in a mixture of respect, apology, and embarrassment.

"Scanlon! I'm so sorry sir, I should have been paying more attention, I am sorry!" She blurted in surprise, but this only made Scanlon grin and loll his tongue. With a wagging tail he stood up and then stretched out his back, after-all it would not be long till dawn at this rate. But he was slightly concerned for Amaya; she had completely ignored his question, and was not even looking at him.

"It's alright; you can tell me anything you want. I do have ears for a reason, and I like to know what's making you worried. That, and I don't like it when people address the ground instead of me, I'm no higher up in the chain of life then any other dog here!" Scanlon snorted gently, though secretly he was quite pleased that she was showing more respect toward him. But he was slightly worried and Amaya apologised once more and then looked up at him with her ears lowered sheepishly.

"It's not so much what's going to happen with me, I can take care of myself. But I was wandering why?" She murmured and then looked away from Scanlon's confused face to the ground, and then back again as she explained. "I mean, why are you doing this? I can see that it would make your pack proud, but why did you say yes? That, and I was wondering what you will do when you've done this task? Are you ever going to settle down with a mate and concentrate on a family life, or are you going to just do whatever is needed by the pack and act like a soldier?"

"I've never put too much thought to it; everyone else thought I'd be a lousy father and a rubbish mate! That and I don't know if I'd ever make a good soldier. After-all, I was chosen for this because they thought it would be the easiest task and that I wouldn't mess up with it! However, I don't know what they'd do if they knew what had been happening so far. After this I don't know what to do, but I don't think I'd be good at any of those things, I'm a bit too dumb and nervous to be a parent or even a true soldier! At least that's what my pack really did think!" Scanlon chuckled happily and he sat down to itch his ears. As he scratched with a hind paw and closed his eyes, he failed to hear or see the sad expression fall on Amaya's face before she whispered nervously…

"I don't think that."

The day came and this time the poodle had not returned as the Rottweilers had predicted amongst themselves. There was worry and none of the dogs were prepared to leave until they knew what was going on. Scanlon decided to take their time to wait as a chance to get food and rest up before trying to get to the point of the mountains where they could cross. After resting and feeding, the band stayed together as the wind remained harsh and Nezumi still did not return. In fact, it was not until the late dark evening that the big poodle came pacing up toward them, looking nervously.

"I was just distracted for a while; some strange dog was following us! After-all, someone has to be checking behind us in case any enemies are still on our trail!" Nezumi made the excuse as he sat down amongst them, snuffing around for some food. The bitches moved out of his way quickly, and they were surprised when Kensell and the Tamoshii stepped around Nezumi, growling at him angrily. Scanlon pressed close to see what was up.

"I know that smell! That's no strange dog that's been following us, that's one of our pack!" Kensell had barked angrily in the face of the poodle, almost grabbing his muzzle with his big teeth. Nezumi quickly ducked down, suddenly afraid as even Tibelda and Scanlon's sister moved in with their teeth bared and hackles raised.

"What smell?" He choked with fear as Scanlon stepped beside him. The poodle captain shrank down in a hope of avoiding Scanlon's keen nose, but it was useless and Scanlon quickly gave a yip of surprise when he noted the scent.

"That's Neko's scent! He's the pack's spy! You've been reporting back to him and telling them what's happened!" Scanlon growled angrily, but it was obvious that he was worried about this thought. As much as Scanlon had indeed got a good pack and was going to cross the mountains, he had not done very well so far. Instead he had caused a lot of mischief and now he was quite embarrassed at the thought of his giant mastiff leader hearing of Scanlon's stupidity!

"I never did! You've got it completely wrong! I've never heard of our pack having a spy, let alone ever seeing that terrier!" Nezumi had quickly whined, before suddenly pressing himself right up against the ground and staring wild-eyed in fear at Kensell as he unfortunately revealed himself. Kensell was upon Nezumi in an instant and had grabbed him by the scruff, holding him and shaking him a little. But swiftly Scanlon requested the big dog to release him.

"But what's this other smell then? There's someone else following us!" Amaya muttered nervously, and Scanlon turned to her with his harsh teeth for a second before quickly apologising and setting his nose to the wind and began to sniff. Indeed there was another scent that, and though it was slightly familiar, Scanlon could not place it and he was quite afraid!

From out of the chilly and windy air, their came a bark, a very familiar one indeed. But the dogs new to the pack froze and ducked down, close to each other for a slight bit of comfort. But Scanlon remained with his eyes on the rebellious poodle whilst Kensell began to pace down the mountain rocks with Hiroshi and Kin. They gave out a few barks of warning to whoever the intruder might be, but still Scanlon did not let his eyes fall from this traitor. He did not even notice how embarrassed and worried Amaya looked as she stepped back toward the mob of worried dogs.

**Coming Soon - Part Seven: Misty Mountains **

Who is about to emerge from the fogs? Is their poodle traitor going to reveal the truth of the mission to them? Where is Neko? What will Amaya do when the time comes? Plus, how will Scanlon react when his sister is stuck in a life or death situation in the middle of the freezing mountain heights? Find out in Part Seven.


	7. Chapter 7

Part Seven: Misty Mountains

There was a bark of surprise from the mists below, and Scanlon guessed it to be the sound of a bitch. He strained his ears back to listen, but still he would not release the traitor. He knew that Kensell would have no trouble in sorting any situation out, but he was slightly on edge about his supposed captain. Why would anyone of their group be slinking back to the pack spy Neko when they were supposed to be watching the mission carefully? Why would someone of such a meaningful rank also go and neglect their watch duties as well as put the pack at risk? Scanlon carefully curled his lips, growled low, and began to whisper sternly toward the nervous looking poodle. He did not want to upset the other dogs, but they were all watching him fearfully; the situation deserved care and forethought, he just needed to know what was going on.

"If you do not tell me, captain, then I may have to kill you! What's going on with you and Neko? Has he been sent after us to make sure I do my job? Or is there something much more sinister going on? After all, why would you only smell of Neko, the boss's private spy when he could have sent any of the others onto us? What's going on, captain? Is there something else I should know about this mission?" Scanlon breathed deeply as he tried to control the drool forming in the back of his throat. He had to fight the urge to slam the poodle around at the scruff like a villainous rat! But he needed to maintain control, he was in a very important position; he had never heard of the great Gin, Leader of Ohu, picking up a dog like Hyena and swinging him around by the neck for information! It just did not happen like that!

But his questioning was cut short by the arrival of the mysterious follower in the mists. It was a surprise to see another traitorous animal step amongst the company at the edge of Kensell's bared teeth. But sure enough, there was the Retriever bitch that had been owned by humans and had almost got Scanlon killed. Here was Miho, and within seconds Kerriane had leapt from amongst the other dogs and charged at her, followed closely by Akilli. The two bitches went to attack her, but Scanlon darted over to protect the bitch as she dropped to the ground with fear. The two females pulled up, but they began to growl and snarl curses at the untrustworthy she-dog, all the time wondering how she'd managed to follow them this far without them smelling any humans!

"MIHO! What in Gin's name are you doing here? Have you brought your owner and your pack here to finish the job?" Scanlon half snarled at her, standing over her with hackles rose as she rolled over with submission. Some of the other males however were interested in checking her out and immediately rushed to sniff at her tail. Miho cringed under her inspection, but Kensell and Scanlon pushed them away and nudged Miho to stand up and stop submitting.

"I followed you... My master threw me out. He said I'd stunk of blood and thought I'd killed most of the hunting dogs. I didn't, your Killer Kensell did! He would have killed me if I hadn't wet myself, then he threw me out and I ran off. I caught your scent and followed. Aren't you happy I came?" Miho whined gently, lowering herself and sniffing at Scanlon's leg while wagging her tail with impatience.

"Send her back where she came from Scanlon! A bitch like her will only bring trouble to us like she did before. She's not in the least trustworthy, and her hide reeks of humans!" Akilli snarled as she pressed her narrow little muzzle to Miho's face and snapped at her. With a shriek Miho lunged behind Scanlon, and he stood over her protectively. But some of the newer dogs were no longer interested in Miho, rather they were eyeing up Kensell wearily.

"Her story is true, I think... She's not been doing well living off our scraps and you can tell she needs some food. But it's your decision, Leader." Kensell growled angrily. He then eyed the treacherous Nezumi and sniffed the air. He could smell the terrier scent upon him still and wanted to rip the poodle apart. Unlike Scanlon, he did not need information to get rid of Nezumi, he just needed the opportunity, but as he felt Kerriane's eyes upon him, the big Rottweiler snorted gently and turned aside to settle down.

"Then we should leave to hunt. Miho will stay beside me." Scanlon growled and the other dogs backed away. They liked Scanlon, and though some did not understand the aggression against this strange bitch, they could all smell human. But they could all see how skinny and wretched she looked, and they wished for food as well before Scanlon urged them to climb on again.

Amaya watched Scanlon and Miho carefully from where she dozed beside Kensell. She had been glad the large Rottweiler and his sister had not tried to push her away and had instead encouraged her to stick with them, and Kensell was a powerful ally. She would never get on the wrong side of him, but she was curious as to why Miho struck Scanlon's interest. Perhaps it was her looks? Maybe her pedigree blood? Whatever the reason, Amaya felt jealous and it aggravated her. She'd liked Scanlon, hence her joining up, but she had not realised how much she'd liked him. Well... if he chose Miho instead, Amaya would make the weird bitch fight for the right. But Amaya was not alone in thinking so as she looked toward the returning hunters which included Tibelda, Akilli, and Kerriane. The later marched over to her, a snake hanging from her jaw, which she gladly offered to Kensell.

"She and Kensell would be a nice item I think... The guard and the warrior, the pair of them would produce mighty pups if they got together." Tibelda mused as she watched her brother greet Scanlon's one-eyed sister eagerly. Akilli nodded her head and offered her share of rabbit to Amaya. The three bitches sat close to one another, away from the two love birds, but within sight of Scanlon, who was seemingly pampering the skinny retriever. Amaya could guess they both had feelings for him, but Akilli had been showing more interest recently in one of the mongrels that had joined from her pack, and her sister was mates with Scanlon's brother anyway. As for Tibelda? Well the bigger bitch was not looking well in herself and Amaya could not help but question it a little.

"Are you well, Tibelda?" Amaya whispered gently, Akilli looked toward her friends, her eyes filled with concern. Tamoshii the Doberman also joined them with a chunk of boar meat, which she gave to Tibelda. She heard the questioning and snorted gently before nipping at her friend's ears.

"Tell them, they won't tell your brother and they will not tell Scanlon either." Tamoshii growled gently. She was aware that there were other eyes upon them, Kin the Staffie was watching quite eagerly, if only because he held an interest in Amaya. But Tibelda seemed reserved, unwilling to speak. A secondary nip urged her to speak, and the bitches were all quite worried.

"I will not be around much longer... I had a vision of the mountain tops, of us crossing during a bad wind, and I was swept away. I saw death take me, but I saw Nezumi in my jaws. Something bad will happen as we climb, and I am afraid that the poodle has more allies then we thought... Or more ambitions..."

The pack began their second attempt at the climb the next morning, the clouds in the sky heralded trouble ahead, but their early start meant that they carried on for a good few hours before the snow started to fall again. It was well known that there was always snow in the Southern Alps, but none of the dogs had expected the amount that fell and by midday the wind had picked up just as the dogs reached the plateau. The plateau was neck-deep in snow, and the bigger dogs like Kensell and Tibelda had to plough ahead of the pack to assist. The breeds more suited to the snow had little trouble in climbing onto the compacted piles and trotting ahead. Amongst them was Amaya and as the wind began to whip at their ears, she found herself with an important task.

"We need shelter…. There's too much snow for the smaller dogs and we still have youngsters with us!" Scanlon howled with annoyance as he tried to climb out of the snow trench and toward the husky type. Amaya paused alongside some of her former pack members, watching him eagerly whilst the wind pulled their tails. Scanlon slumped back down into the snow again but gave a bark once more for them to get close to him. "Go on ahead and find a shelter for us all. Anything, just an outcrop away from the wind!"

"We'll try! For now, you should all probably stop and start padding down into the gaps or start digging…. That way you can outlast the blizzard that's building up!" Amaya and Scanlon were almost yelling at each other, even though they were no more then a few inches apart. The noise of the wind was worse then a howling wolf and Scanlon was getting agitated by it. He knew there was a blizzard coming but he did not understand what Amaya was saying and let her leave.

"What's the plan?" Kensell's deep rumble called back, he had managed to stop his sister and followers ahead of him. The Rottweiler twins' thin coats were matted and they were visibly shaking from the cold. Scanlon looked at them both with a fondness for their loyalty and pity for their suffering. But Scanlon knew that if Kensell or Tibelda had to stay still, they would more then likely freeze. Akilli behind him was already hopping back and forth to stop her toes from freezing, Tamoshii was being shielded by two large hairier dogs, and as short Kin hurried over, his nose almost blue Scanlon shook his head.

"We've got to keep going until Amaya returns with news of a shelter. But we have to hurry with the blizzard coming." Scanlon barked, his ears being pulled almost off his head as the wind roared past as if on queue. But he was nipped on the shoulder suddenly by Kerriane and he was confused greatly.

"Didn't you hear Amaya? We'd be safer cuddling up together with the worst affected in the centre!" Kerriane snarled angrily, her sight was getting worse as her one eye was being stung by the biting wind. But Scanlon looked at her with a snort of arrogance, shaking his head and then barking for them all to continue marching. Kerriane found herself annoyed but forced to keep moving onwards. But she was getting even more worried for Tibelda's prophecy.

"So I'm to keep marching?" Kensell growled above the gathering snow and he got a bark of agreement from Scanlon, even though Kerriane shook his head. But Kensell was dubious, if Kerriane thought it was a bad idea then it usually was – however he could never let himself disobey his boss. As he padded back to the front and beside his sister, they once more began to plunge through the snow, trying their best to make sure there were no sudden drops beneath their feet.

But as the other dogs began to move on, the dogs ahead began to bark a few warnings of a narrow edge on the side of their tracks. Kerriane growled with annoyance at the news that it was on her blind side, but she stepped in line behind her brother and they continued to pace. After a few minutes though, the troublesome poodle had finally endured as much matted snow in his fur as he could carry and he began to growl and snap in annoyance. But when Scanlon encouraged him to move, Nezumi lost it.

"Why don't you die?" The poodle snarled and dove into the air above the others, standing on the risen snow next to their trenches and darting at Scanlon. The Alsatian paused at the noise and turned to see what was about to happen. Yet he was surprised that instead of hitting him, the wind threw Nezumi's aim and he landed clumsily behind Kerriane. But when Scanlon turned to give him a thrashing and the shadows of Kensell and Tibelda were forming on the edge of the snow, Nezumi panicked. He lunged forward, grabbing the blind side of Kerriane's face and swinging her with a surprising strength. Kerriane prepared herself to be dropped over the edge, but something lunged forward and caught her.

"All of you get back into the snow and huddle up before the storm hits!" Amaya growled with annoyance, releasing Kerriane gently but angry with Scanlon's actions. Though the other dogs began to nestle down, Scanlon was outraged by what had just taken place and lunged at the poodle. Nezumi expected the attack and dodged past, nipping Scanlon's tender underside as he shot past hoping to escape. But to his upset Tibelda and Kensell stood in front of him, he lunged forward, grabbing at Tibelda's scruff though she bent down and sunk her teeth into his head.

The blow was a killing one, and as Kensell prepared to rip the poodle's corpse from his sister, he realised the mistake being made. Scanlon had not realised that Nezumi had just been killed and he was charging at him. Before Kensell could get in the way to stop the charge, Scanlon had smashed into the corpse. But his speed had ricocheted into Tibelda and she slipped backward. The ledge sat beneath her toes and she could feel herself slipping. Though Kensell was quick to grab Scanlon and throw him aside, the big beast could not grab his sister. As Tibelda felled with a howl, her brother could not stop himself and dove off the edge after her, hoping to catch her before they hit the rocks below. As Scanlon realised the situation he found himself jumping off as well to catch them, but only as he felt his weight fall away did he howl out in his fear.

Then there was silence and the blizzard came upon them as Amaya disappeared into the snow, searching for her friends. Kerriane stood panting and pining in surprise, howling out to the wind for her brother, but soon smothered away by the snow.

Coming Soon – Part Eight: The Land Past the Alps

The lands around the edge of the Southern Alps are close to the land of the Koga, Kai, and the dogs of Mutsu – it is within these lands that Kerriane has led the pack to get directions to Weed's land and then get help in seeking out her brother. But her claims of being John's daughter does not seem to get through to the Mutsu dogs, and Kerriane will have to prove it or end up being forced to join their pack.  
Meanwhile, once again Kensell has ended up saving Scanlon's life – but at a terrible cost. As predicted Tibelda is dead and it looks like they might be soon after her, but Amaya is with them both and eager to lead them up a safer route from the precipice their stuck on. But a fall into a river leads them to a land of terrifying dogs that would rather take their ears off then give them aid.


	8. Chapter 8

Part Eight: The Land Past the Alps

The snow wiped the tears of sorrow from his face but the pain in his heart remained, and the one cause of all his woes was lying at his feet, shaking. The animal was none other then Scanlon, and Kensell was very angry with him. He knew he'd made a promise to look after his best friend, but he had just lost his sister and knew that his blood was a stronger loyalty then that of friendship.

Grabbing the wounded and freezing Scanlon at the scruff, the now scar-faced Rottweiler wobbled toward the edge of their platform. He had watched his sister bounce of it and fall down to nowhere, yet Scanlon had hit him and they had both crashed onto the stone and stayed there. He heard the whine of the pathetic shepherd in his jaws and was unafraid of what his heart was telling him to do. Though the wind made his eyes weep even more, Kensell lifted his head up, ears flapping so his eyes were half blocked, and prepared to discard Scanlon over the cliff. There was nothing left for him anymore, and so Scanlon would have to suffer.

"Kensell don't!" Before Kensell could release his catch, something smashed into his side and threw him back to the wall of the cliff. Scanlon slipped from his jaw and was about to go over the edge, but Amaya was there to grab his tail and pull him back to the platform. She turned to Kensell with a harsh glare, but she could see the sorrow on his smashed and bleeding face. "Do not blame him. I get the feeling that whoever sent you all out here was hoping for either your deaths or a chance to take down Ohu. Whoever did this, it is not Scanlon, though he has made rash decisions! Do not take your fury out on him; Tibelda already knew what her fate would be."

"Perhaps you are right! I know who it was and I had assumed they were up to something cruel, but I have lost my sister. I do not know what to do? I don't understand why she is gone and yet I am still here?" Kensell whined pitifully and he lowered his sore body to the ground as the blizzard began to fall off the edges above and reach them. He looked wretched and Amaya looked down at Scanlon, wishing he was conscious because though he always relied on Kensell to save him, boy did Scanlon say some interesting things.

"You do have something to live for, something to protect." Amaya growled gently and then she began to lick at Scanlon's freezing ears. "Scanlon needs your help right now more then anything. You've always been there for him in the past, and now you can protect him for as long as you would like. Help me shield him from the cold and you can dream over your choices."

Kensell gave a grunt, looked at the weak and shuddering form on his oldest friend, and then nodded. He paced over and huddled down beside him and Amaya, hoping that the night of dreaming would make things all the more clearer. But even so, his heart was broken and he had no wish to forgive so quickly.

Kerriane woke up first of the pack, her nose scenting the arrival of strange dogs. She had done well in guiding the remnant to safety and then down the cliff face when the storm had passed. It had been three days and they had passed into the land of Mutsu and the Four Generals. This place was dangerous, not overly dangerous for the allies of Ohu, but it was not the most attractive land. Whereas the other realms were filled with forest, Mutsu's landscape was pocketed with gorges and drops where it would be only too easy to fall into and die. Now Kerriane knew she would have to make them believe her claim of the warrior John as her father, of face their wrath.

She stepped away from the forms of her fellows, her body shaking with fear as the scent of a very powerful male wafted into her nose. Kerriane was unsure what she would expect when she stepped outside, but to her surprise it was not a whole pack of dogs waiting for her. Instead it was just one husky male, sitting patiently in the open with his head tilting as he tried to figure her out. She was unsure what to make of his reaction to her, but she also did not want to get into trouble with the others by speaking to him. However, she knew that the four generals who owned Mutsu were all huskies and that surely; this husky male with a strange white droplet of fur on his forehead must be related to them. Lowering herself and wagging her tail in friendship, she shuffled over to him and gave a low whine of greeting. The male replicated her friendship and soon they sniffed each other before stepped apart and preparing to speak.

"I am Kerriane. My pack and I have crossed the mountains in search of Ohu. We were looking there to meet Boss Weed, as we were to become new members of his group after an arranged event with our Boss. But our journey has taken its toll so far, our group's leader has disappeared. Have you seen any strangers apart from us?" Kerriane could not help but blurt things out. But she was eager to know if Scanlon was alive still and if anything could be done to help him. But being in the land of Mutsu meant that she would not be far from Ohu and hopefully the end of a horrendous journey. She didn't care anything about the supposed mission that their old leader had given them, so much had happened she didn't believe in it, but at least in Ohu she would be able to settle.

"I'm called Sangatsu, son of Kisagari. He is the boss of the Four Generals of Mutsu. I'm his youngest son of last year's litter, but I know the rules and goings on. As far as we're aware, you're the only newcomers to this land, and very strange ones you are indeed. Where are you actually from?"

The interest of the male was worrying; Kerriane was unfortunate in wanting to tell him the truth. But a greater part of her mind warned her about it! She could claim they were from a neighbouring land to the now dead Hougen, and that they had been fighting him for ages. But if she mentioned her own master's name, then what would that mean? Her only hope was to ignore who her old boss was and make herself the new one. If anyone had to know, then she was John's daughter with a group of dedicated friends heading to Ohu – the land her father loved more then her mother!

"I'm from the far south, an old territory that used to be attacked often by Hougen. We were saved once by Weed and his fellows, who did not know of Hougen's threat at that point. Upon their time there, my mother conceived me and my brother to the warrior John. I am returning to the land he loved, to work for his master, and to bring those that followed me from terrible lands, seeking paradise and friendship." Kerriane was surprised by the authority in her own voice, it seemed to impress the male too and he even looked delighted, offering a quick bow, which she happily returned. But then, as she had hoped to step forward and ask for directions – someone else turned up.

"Father…."

The noise of the waters below woke Scanlon first, and as he opened his dreary eyes the memories of hell returned to him! Had he actually been dead and given another chance to change? Scanlon did not know, but he was definitely going to change and listen more! He would redeem himself first by offering Kensell the blood he was probably lusting for! But when he managed to turn his head despite the bitter pain and stiffness, he was greeted with a smile.

"I don't understand…" Scanlon managed to murmur as he looked at the gentle and caring face of the large Rottweiler. His eyes widened a little more, and he spotted the sleeping form of Amaya at his other side. Suddenly Scanlon felt foolish, he owed them both terribly and yet they had not let him die! But while Scanlon was trying to figure out his position amongst them, Amaya's gentle snuggling motions surprised him. Had he not noticed it before?

"She really does care about you! I think it was not only your bravery, but because you did not care about what her family did! In some ways, you don't deserve her companionship – but I still like you Scanlon!" Kensell growled in amusement and to the young shepherd's surprise, the big Rottweiler began to groom his ears – warming him up so he felt better.

"Thank you Kensell. I don't deserve your friendship, and you know that I blame myself for your sister's death. But I will make it up to you… Someday…" Scanlon fell back into sleep and Kensell gave a gentle grunt of annoyance before curling back to rest as well.

A few hours passed, but when they woke up it was to a terrible wind and Scanlon being pulled along the plateau. The wind was dragging him too the edge and he was far too weak to try and pull himself away. Kensell was worried, this was what he'd feared would happen. The big male darted forward and grabbed Scanlon's shoulder. But to his own surprise the wind was pulling him onward, trying to drag him over the edge as well! Amaya gripped his stumpy tail, then his shoulder and pulled back. But even her strength was not enough, they were beginning to panic. But to his surprise, Scanlon spoke calmly without fear.

"Let me go and jump off with me! We're not going to die; we're going to be alright! Just trust me! There is a spirit with us!" Scanlon's words were convincing, but they were still nervous. Despite it all, Kensell jerked him forward and then jumped. He was surprised to feel the wind catch his paws. They were half gliding downward, but he could see the river coming up, and he was scared. But Scanlon called back to him. "It's okay; we have a friend of Ohu with us!"

Scanlon did not know who it was, only that it was a dog that could jump well and had known when was the best time to stretch out your paws and fall. Scanlon nipped and encouraged his friends to follow him, but there was always something telling him to prepare for water. He called back, telling them that they would fall into the river below, but he worried about Kensell. After-all, the big dog was not very fond of water and definitely not the best swimmer in the world. But they would have no choice in the matter.

"John's daughter? That's a claim now isn't it?" Kisagari was not what he had looked like according to Akuma's description. But the fact that he knew who Akuma was made Kerriane's situation much more fearful. Here she was with a huge pacl of dogs and an almost outrageous claim to uphold. Here was Kisagari, missing an ear and aggressive as ever. His brothers had let them come in and feed however, their approach toward others much gentler then they had feared.

"Yes. But despite what you think, we are here to join Ohu and Weed. We are escaping Akuma and the lands back there because of the tyrants. We have gone through many struggles and wish only to gain friendship with others. I told you before, Master Kisagari, we are not the enemies!" Kerriane growled, she could hear the fear from the other dogs and see the anger twitching in the muscles of her guards that remained beneath the feet of the Kisagari's soldiers. Before the great husky could say anything again, his son stepped in front of Kerriane protectively.

"Please father! They are telling the truth, they must have been the ones spotted coming over the mountains! We were told that they had many females in their mob and several of them have not had mates! Though some of the bitches are carrying young from dead mates, or so they have told mother! Please father, believe them!" Sangatsu whined gently but one of the bigger huskies muscled past him. This male was bigger and practically black in colouration.

"It could easily be a ruse to stop us from fighting them and let them on their way! We know that Akuma was not above keeping pregnant females amongst his gangs so that they were not attacked by us! It could easily be a ruse led by this obviously clever female!" The big male growled, but Kerriane noted with her one eye that there was a slight twinkling of interest in his mahogany eyes. Kerriane was a little flattered by the clever comment, but she noted to look of annoyance in Sangatsu's eyes.

"Don't be foolish! They're nice dogs and won't hurt us! If she says she's John's daughter, then she must be! It is not likely that she would make this kind of claim!" Sangatsu seemed convinced, as he should be, but Kerriane was nervous of what Kisigari would think of it all.

"Hmmm… I think, if this is the truth. Then they will gladly join our pack and when we convene with the pack later, you can be taken from there…"

"WHAT!"

_COMING NEXT:_

_Part Nine – Ninjas and Tigers_

_Kerriane is trapped with the Mutsu dogs. They won't hurt them but she doesn't want to be there and she wants to find her brother but they won't let her. Only Sangatsu seems to be able to help her and is willing to travel to find out the information she needs. But while the pup's away, Kerriane and the big black boy, Uzuki's son Raiden, are getting a little chatty. But if the call doesn't come for the meeting soon, Kerriane might just have to become Raiden's mate in order to get her pack back on the road to Ohu. _

_But what about Scanlon? Well he's landed in a strange mist-strewn land of Ninja dogs. The river has led them to the Koga lands, but some of the Koga ninjas that they did not want returned have done so! Koga is once again at war with one another, but this time it's over something very strange. Its all about who is in love with the Kai bitch Naratora, daughter of Kurotora and one of the prettiest bitches around. Apparently the war over who is going to be her mate might go beyond the boards if the Kai dogs find out! So what can Scanlon do to solve the situation? _


End file.
